Student world news wrap 04/04/18

UK authorities on alert after students receive ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ letters

Police and university security services across the UK are taking extra precautions after ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ letters encouraging Islamophobic hate crimes on April 3 began circulating among students.

The letter urged students and the general population to ‘take action’ against Muslims with a list of hate crimes that increase in severity for points. People in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, London, Bristol and Sheffield have reportedly received messages. – Read the full story on the Study International site.

Mugabe PhD case – University head to stand trial (Zimbabwe)

A Harare court has ruled that University of Zimbabwe Vice-chancellor Professor Levi Nyagura has a case to answer for allegedly awarding former first lady Grace Mugabe a doctor of philosophy degree ‘corruptly’ in 2014. Nyagura, who was arrested on February 16, challenged his placement on remand but Harare magistrate Tilda Mazhande ruled that Nyagura had a case to answer and must remain on remand pending trial.

In a related matter, another magistrate has issued a fresh warrant for the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to search and seize all documents from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) relevant to its investigation into the awarding of the degree to Mugabe. – Read the full story on the University World News site.

Programme helps Syrian refugees pursue university study (Turkey)

More than 4,200 Syrian youth will benefit from Turkish academic programmes, says a joint statement by the Turks Abroad and Related Communities and the UN’s refugee agency. Turkey is the largest refugee-hosting country in the world with more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees. The establishment of university preparation programmes will enable Syrian students to acquire the Turkish language skills needed to study in Turkish universities. – Read the full article on the Hurriyet Daily News site.